Places howthewestwas1 Wants to Go

Rainbow-hued local gem in Venice.

Santa Monica's oldest restaurant, decorated with set pieces from the Mutiny on the Bounty.

Legendary prop shop filled with one man's collection of scientific curiosities.

From pre-war whiskey cocktails to prohibition-era speakeasy secrecy, this bar has seen it all.

After starting as a whimsical tourist attraction that eventually found its way to ruin, these renovated canals offer a lush and exotic locale on the Pacific Coast.

The last family-owned, single-screen moviehouse in La La Land.

A giant donut stands as a popular symbol of Los Angeles iconography.

The sun acts as a key that only fits this giant keyhole twice a year.

The Mighty Wurlitzer organ continues to belt out the tunes at downtown El Segundo's historic home for silent and classic movies.

Made famous by cable TV, this oddball collection of antiques and collectibles is a cut above the rest.

An open-air, roadside eatery celebrating a historic indigenous cuisine of complicated significance.

Founded by members of the Tohono O’odham Nation, this one-room joint's James Beard–winning fry bread is light as a cloud.

Open since 1938, this diner has kept its fountain, malt machine, and all the gum that greasers left beneath its counter.

These ancient sacred grounds granted amnesty to those who managed to reach them.

A priest with no formal artistic training used basic house paint to create gorgeous religious scenes inside this historic church.

Try your hand at old-fashioned coffee growing at this museum devoted to one of the world's most coveted beans.

Get up close and personal with these majestic fish.

This unusual lava tube spouts seawater during high surf.

Football field-sized microalgae production tanks on the Hawaiian coast create a stunning view from space.

This Hawaiian cattle ranch acts as a museum devoted to the island cowboys that predate the wild west.

Earth's tallest volcano is sacred to Native Hawaiians, and home to a dozen world-class observatories.

More than 2,000 species of tropical plants call this nature preserve and sanctuary home.

These picturesque Hawaiian falls are home to a rare species of fish that uses a special sucker to climb up cliffs.

This legendary urban waterfall creates a dazzling display of rainbows.